| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Salvatore Zizzo Jr. | ||
| Date of birth | April 3, 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | San Diego, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Winger/Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Portland Timbers | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | UCLA Bruins | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2007 | Orange County Blue Star | 13 | (5) |
| 2007–2010 | Hannover 96 II | 35 | (7) |
| 2007–2010 | Hannover 96 | 8 | (0) |
| 2010 | Chivas USA | 10 | (0) |
| 2011– | Portland Timbers | 30 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | United States U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2008 | United States U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2007 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 17, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Salvatore "Sal" Zizzo (born April 3, 1987 in San Diego, California) is an American soccer player who plays for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.
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Zizzo attended Patrick Henry High School, where he played soccer and baseball. As a baseball center fielder, he was a four-year letterman and voted first-team All-CIF his junior year. He also excelled in soccer, he was voted All-CIF honors four years straight (2002–05).[1] He played club soccer for Hotspurs USA (El Cajon, CA), and was a member of his region's Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. Zizzo then went on to play two years of college soccer at UCLA. At UCLA he was an NCSAA/adidas All-American as a freshman in 2005.[2] Zizzo was also selected as Pac10 Freshman Player of the Year the same year. In 2006, UCLA reached the College Cup vs. Santa Barbara in St. Louis.
During his college years he also played two seasons with senior amateur team Orange County Blue Star in the USL Premier Development League.
Zizzo left college early and turned professional in July 2007 after a successful U20 World Cup in Canada for the United States. He signed to German Bundesliga club Hannover 96, for a three-year contract. In October 2009, Zizzo suffered an ACL injury and missed the entire 2009–10 season.[3]
On July 21, 2010, Chivas USA acquired Zizzo through a weighted lottery conducted by MLS. Zizzo played in 10 games (making one start) over the second half of the season, totaling 254 minutes and one assist.
On February 15, 2011, Zizzo was traded (for allocation money) by Chivas to the MLS expansion side Portland Timbers.[4]
Zizzo represented the U.S. at the U18 and U20 levels. He participated in the Lisbon International Tournament and the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland with the U18s in 2005. Zizzo suited up for the United States. U20 National Team in the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup, starting all five of the team's matches in the tournament and helping the team reach the quarterfinals. He made his senior national team debut Aug. 22, 2007, in a friendly against Sweden.
Zizzo holds both American and Italian citizenship, as both his parents were born in Palermo, Sicily.[5] This helped with negotiating a contract in Europe with Hannover 96.[6]
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